Objects made of dissimilar materials are typically attached to each other using a bonding material, for example, glue, adhesives, mortar, etc. Consider an example where tiles are attached to a surface, for example, a wall, for covering wall surfaces, for constructing standalone structures to support loads, for partitioning structures, for ornamental purposes, etc. Gaps between adjacent tiles to be attached are filled with the bonding material. The assembly of the adjacent tiles forms a tile assembly that is primarily strengthened by the bonding material. Over time, the tile assembly may lose its strength due to a change in the properties of the bonding material caused, for example, by a change in climate, a corrosive environment, or variable loads. Replacing the bonding material or clipping the tiles may damage the tile assembly or mar the aesthetic appearance of the tile assembly.
To avoid the problems associated with using the bonding material for attaching objects of dissimilar materials, some methods use a mechanical means for attaching the objects. However, the mechanical means, for example, ridges, grooves, clips, screws, bolts, nails, etc., may also damage the objects, for example, the tiles, and mar the aesthetic appearance of the tiles. Moreover, the mechanical means are typically exposed to an external environment and require continuous maintenance. The maintenance comprises a regular and laborious manual examination of the condition of the mechanical means that attach each of the tiles to a surface, for example, a wall. Therefore, there is a need for a modular structure that encases the mechanical means, retains tension in the encased mechanical means under different conditions of strain experienced by the mechanical means, and protects the mechanical means from the external environment to reduce time and effort involved in maintenance of each of the mechanical means on a regular basis. Moreover, there is a need for one or more connecting elements, for example, hooks, threaded rods, flat bars, etc., that extend from the modular structure and facilitate attachment of an object to another object of a dissimilar material.
Hence, there is a long felt but unresolved need for a method for attaching a first object made of a first material to one or more second objects made of one or more of multiple second materials that are dissimilar to the first material of the first object, using a molded attachment block, that is, a modular structure, and without using any bonding material and without damaging the surface and aesthetic appearance of the first object.